We met the delightful Uschi at a market in Barao de Sao Joao in February and had the pleasure of not only spending some time with her, but also getting to eat a superb Savoy cabbage and orange dish she made. I love trying different dishes and this one certainly took the cake for me. Or the cabbage in this instance…

Uta and Markus are more deevine family members on my husband’s side and we just love them. Markus is Joerg’s cousin and Uta is his wife. We were lucky enough to be able to spend a little time with them this summer and Uta made these deeelicious patties for us.

This recipe is from our mate Anja ( www.reisenundspeisen.com ) and you can find it in German there too. What makes this salad so special is that the finely chopped cabbage is then pressed to release water and this makes the cabbage softer and more delicious. It soaks up the dressing even better after it’s released its water.

This makes a quick, easy and elegant starter or just a quick everyday salad. It’s deelicious and lovely to look at too! I served it in some lovely big shells our mate Micha collected for me in Pedras del Rei in Portugal, but you obviously aren't going to be able to do the same unless you too befriend Micha!

I got the idea for this recipe from Nigella Lawson and was quite surprised that her photo was, how shall I put it, not appetizing. Then I made a version of it and low and behold, my photo isn’t appetizing either! BUT the soup is deelicious so don’t be put off by dodgy photos.

This can be eaten hot, warm or cold, so it’s very flexible. And deevine at the same time! And easy too. Man, this just keeps on getting better. Does take a bit of time to julienne the vegetables though…what was that about clouds and silver linings? No, that’s the other way round, duh.

(Today’s recipe: Stinging Nettles)
I HATE THEM. Everybody says they only sting at certain times of the year and the sting is not that bad. Well, they haven’t met my vicious Nettles. Mine sting all year. Even the roots sting. I’m not kidding. EVEN THE ROOTS STING.

(Today’s recipe: Dandelions)

Now where does the word Dandelion come from, I ask you. This is like Red Mullet actually being a Goat Fish. I love discovering the origin of words and/or just enjoying the strangeness of words. Maybe lion comes from the fluffy white head it gets before it goes forth and reproduces itself a thousand times over in my garden.

(Today’s recipe: Wild Fennel)

I can't believe I haven't managed to post this since I wrote it in March, same time as the first one. Sorry!!! And thank you Peter and Ute for reminding to pull out my finger and get on with posting!!

(Today: Wild Mustard Recipe)

Not Weed, Weeds you silly people! I’m talking about the stuff that grows uncontrollably in your garden. Okay, so maybe some of you have this problem with weed too, but the rest of us just have problems with good old-fashioned weeds. Sigh. I’m not getting the upper hand here am I?!